An art display comprised of 34 paintings entitled 'Gifts from the Desert' was inaugurated in Washington DC yesterday at a reception attended, among others, by staff from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. The paintings, by Irish artist Julian Fries, illustrate how the Kingdom has preserved its natural heritage. The show will be open to the public until October 11, at the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Last week, a special edition of the book containing the paintings was presented to the Library of Congress to mark its 200th anniversary, as a gift from Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, who is head of the National Commission for Wildlife Development and Conservation as well as Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General.